Resolution (Mpix)

Type

Price (USD)

Format

Camera Sensor Ratings by DxOMark

The Overall Sensor Score is based on all characteristics of a camera sensor, independent of the camera lens, and for a general purpose use case.

The Use Case Scores take into account the sensor performance for three typical photographic use cases: the Portrait Score, based on Color Depth; the Landscape Score, based on Dynamic Range; and the Sports Score, based on Low-Light ISO.

FusionCharts needs Adobe Flash Player to run. If you're unable to see the chart here, it means that your browser does not seem to have the Flash Player Installed. You can downloaded it here for free.

This interactive graph shows the rankings for our current set of digital camera bodies based on Sensor Overall Scores and on the three Use Case Scores (click on the different tabs to view the performance and ranking of cameras for each score). You can switch the x-axis for time, price range, or resolution, as well as filter the ranking by brand, resolution, sensor size, date, and price (USD). You can also access the comprehensive set of RAW-based measurement data, curves, and plots for any given camera body by clicking on its product sheet (left column).

Portrait Score is based on Color Depth performance (values in bits). Color Depth or Color Sensitivity indicates both the breadth of the color spectrum and the degree of fine separation between colors that a camera can distinguish. The higher the color sensitivity, the more color nuances can be distinguished, which is of particular importance for portrait and studio photographers.

Landscape Score is based on Dynamic Range performance (values in EVs). This Score indicates the maximum Dynamic Range, or the greatest possible amplitude between light and dark details a given sensor can record. It is plotted in EVs (exposure values) or f-stops, with each increase of 1 EV (or one stop) corresponding to twice the amount of light recorded. High dynamic range is an essential consideration in landscape photography.

Sports Score is based on Low-Light ISO performance (values in ISO index). Low-Light ISO indicates the highest ISO sensitivity to which your camera can be set while maintaining a high quality, low-noise image (based on a Signal-to-Noise-Ratio [SNR] of 30dB, a dynamic range of 9EVs and a color depth of 18bits). As cameras improve, the highest ISO setting to produce 30dB, 9EVs, 18-bit images will continuously increase, making this scale open. Low-Light ISO performance is of primary importance in photojournalism, sports and action photography.